Observing Particles without influencing their environment -

The Ecological Uncertainty Principle

Joolz Williams Particle Physics Department

j.h.williams@rl.ac.uk

• Environment Overview

• Achieving Sustainability

• Changing Business Practices & Legislation

• Practical Advice

Environment Overview

Easter Island• Started as sub-tropical forest

• Rapidly increasing population cut down all the trees.

• No raw materials (eg for canoes), reduction in biodiversity, erosion

• Population crash follows swiftly - war, famine, cannibalism etc.

• Only 47 species of plants remaining in 1722

• Drawdown > Overshoot > Crash > Die-off

• Who cut down the last tree?

Source:UN

Earth’s Population Explosion

Global Population, last 2000 years

Source: New Scientist

Deforestation

Source: New Scientist

Climate Change

Predicted Temperature IncreaseCO2 Levels

Source: Environment Agency

Source: New Scientist

Sea Level Rise

Reduction in Biodiversity

Sources: Lord May, President of the Royal Society; WWF

Tigers

Only 6000 remaining,numbers still falling

3 species extinct since 1950

Habitat loss, persecution

North sea codPopulation 10% of 1970 levelFuture threat from escaped GM fish

Overexploitation, habitat loss

Big-Leaf Mahogany

Under threat since the commercial extinction of two other mahogany species

Overexploitation

White-rumped VulturePopulation crash caused by Voltarol, a widely-used veterinary drug, in the food chain.1992 : 30,000,0002003 : 180,000

Pharmaceuticals

Sources: Lord May, President of the Royal Society; WWF

The extinction rate for birds and mammals is estimated to be 500 times higher at than any time in the past few million years

Water Vole

Predation by American Mink. Destruction of river banks

Alien species, habitat loss

Grey Heron

Birth defects from PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls,) banned 18 years ago.

Persistent Organic Pollutants

Barn Owl (& others) - Rodenticides passed up the food chain

Rodenticides, habitat loss

Wild Orchids, Meadowland

Weedkillers, monoculture, etc

Modern Farming Techniques

Achieving Sustainability

Traditional Industry Energy and Materials flow

Working towards sustainability

• Environmental Management Systems (EMS) like ISO 14001• Reducing/reusing waste• Reducing energy & materials input• Maximising product• Carbon Neutral• Waste Neutral

• Pollution Control• Water Management

Ford Diesel Engine Plant, Dagenham 2 x 3.6MW turbines provide 100% of energy requirements

Savings: 6000 tonnes CO2

67 tonnes SO2

20 tonnes NOx

Renewables • Most of our “countryside” is

farmland, producing the food we eat.

• It is likely we will soon be watching the energy we use being generated.

Willow being harvested for biomass fuel

• If the world’s productive land were shared out equally, we would have about 4.5 acres each (3 football pitches)

• The average European would need about 17 acres

Changing Business Practices

&Legislation

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

1999 on Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC)

2003 Ban on whole tyres in landfill

2004 on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) (2002/95/EC)

2006 Restrictions on Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS)(2009/95/EC)

2006 Ban on shredded tyres in Landfill

2006 End of Life Vehicles Directive (ELV) (2002/95/EC)

2008 Next phase of Packaging Directive (94/62/EC)

Coming soon...Thematic Strategy on Waste Recycling Thematic Strategy on Sustainable Use of Resources Waste Prevention TargetsWaste Shipments RegulationsBatteries DirectiveIntegrated Product PolicyBiological Treatment of Biowaste Emissions Trading Directive Emissions Trading DirectiveGroundwater Directiveetc, etc, etc...

EU Legislation

Source: letsrecycle.com DTi

Design for End-of-LifeEnd of Life Vehicles (ELV) directive introduced in 2003.

• Restricts the use of hazardous materials in new vehicles

• Vehicle components to be marked to aid recycling

• Manufacturers must provide free take back for old vehicles, if they have a negative value when scrapped.

• 95% reuse and recycling by 2015

Targets like this need to be adopted by all industry.

Source: National Physical Laboratory http://www.npl.co.uk/ei/news/epparticle.html

ROHS : Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment

WEEE : Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment• Main impacts are - Transition to lead free solder - End-of-life recycling

• Some technical challenges, mostly to do with higher temperatures

• Lead• Arsenic• Selenium• Cadmium• Chromium

Hazardous materials commonly found in electronic equipment:• Cobalt

• Mercury• Antimony Trioxide• Polybrominated flame retardants

Science should be leading, not following.

There is not much legislation directed at science research, but:

• Scientific research is not exempt from the drive towards sustainability.

• The benefits must outweigh the risks & environmental damage......otherwise, the public may not think it worthwhile.

• Better to be sustainable, rather than have to justify environmental damage

• 56% of graduates feel that a company’s environmental policy is important when choosing their careers

CERN’s 250th anniversary?

Practical Advice

General Tips• Carry out a “Green Audit” of your work

processes

• Don’t replace items for the sake of it

• Try and find a greener alternative to landfill for disposal items (sell/donate?)

Reduce

Re-use

Recycle

Best

Good

Purpose of recycling:• Reduce landfill, now at a premium.

• Recover hazardous substances

• Conserve resources

• Save energy

We have one of the lowest recycling rates in EuropeBritain : 14% Holland : 58%

Paper

• Once an expensive and valuable resource.

• British businesses use 20 million trees/year

• Recycling bins can take all types of paper except Yellow Pages, Brown Paper, Cardboard.

• Paper recycling is considered “greener” then growing new trees, even if the forests are properly managed.

• Every office should have a paper recycling bin - use an old photocopy paper box.

Catalogues, Magazines, Newsletters• If you don’t read them, ask the sender to stop sending them.

• Use online version instead?

• Home junk mail: you can register with the Mailing Preference Service to stop receiving unsolicited mail. www.mpsonline.org.uk

• A company that continues to phone or write to you after you have asked them to stop is breaking the law.

Cardboard• One of the most recyclable materials

• Supermarkets have been recycling cardboard since 1961

• Boxes should be broken down flat to keep the process efficient

• Use paper-based parcel tape (instead of plastic), and all-cardboard Jiffy bags.

Fluorescent Tubes• Keep intact if possible• Contain enough Mercury to pollute 30,000 litres of water• Most household recycling centres now have facility to take fluorescent tubes.• Tubes at work must be recycled by law.

Batteries• Avoid disposable batteries where possible - use Rechargeables

(better) or Mains Power (best) • Don’t put batteries in general waste - it is already illegal for

some types, and legislation will soon cover all types.• Recycling box in the first floor printer room, along with a

printer cartridge box

• Recyclable in theory...

•...but in practice the logistical and technical difficulties mean that recycling rates are low ( 7% in the UK )

• Can only be recycled three times

• No facility at RAL, but plastic bottles can go in most roadside collections

Glass• Easier to recycle than plastics.

• Again, re-use is best, (like milk bottles)

• No facility at RAL, but public bins at Harwell shops

Plastics

• Makes up large proportion of litter, with the associated hazard to wildlife

• Reduction and re-use are best option

• 200-500 years to decompose in landfill

Metals• Have been recycled since their first use• Good infrastructure• If possible, keep different types separate.

Non-ferrous metals fetch much more than ferrous metals or a mixture

Electronics• Should be separated from ordinary waste

Material £/tonneFerrous & mixed 20Cables 250Lead 280Stainless steel 400Aluminium Alloys 550Brass 500Copper 900Landfill -60

Typical Metal Scrap Prices

Recycling at home• For home refuse, most of these recycling

facilities are available, either as part of the kerbside recycling, or at the local tip.

• Contact your district council to get a green bin.

• Don’t make a special journey to go to the tip; combine it with another trip

• Compost your green waste if you have room

• Recycling is just the end of the process - the whole chain has to be sustainable

• Buy green products

• Use green suppliers & contractors (look for ISO 14001)

• Using greener alternatives to traditional chemicals (say for cleaning fluids) usually has Health & Safety benefits

More of these...

Fewer of these...

• Choose electricity suppliers that are investing in renewables

• Consider the distance that the product will have to travel to get to you.

• Britain, 1998:Pork exports: 195,000 tonsPork imports: 240,000 tons(20,000 pointless truck journeys?)

Buying green

• Inefficient use of office machines costs UK industry £400m p.a.

• PCs should be powered down overnight (except when updates are applied) - saves 200kg CO2 per PC per year.

• PCs can be asked to “hibernate” for quick restarting. (Public PCs should be logged off first)

• Use power-saving features on photocopiers, printers etc.

• It’s more efficient to turn lights off, even for a few seconds, than leave them on.

• Specify energy saving bulbs and switches.

Switch it off properly!• 8% of domestic energy consumption is standby electricity

consumption

• Use power consumption as a criterion when buying equipment which will be permanently on.

Switch it off!

Air Conditioning

• Switch off when not needed.• Applies to car aircon systems too.

Avoid Disposables• Britain throws away enough disposable cups per year to circle the equator 14 times.

• Don’t make it work harder than it needs to.

(keep windows & doors shut)

• Catering waste makes up nearly 10% of landfill.

• Even paper cups take a long time to break down.

• Some companies give a discount to staff that use ceramic mugs

• Not necessarily more efficient than traditional methods.

• Should be part of an integrated HVAC system.

Fossil fuels You are here

1930

2050

Some analyses predict the oil will run out before the worst climate change scenarios can happen...

• Most estimates reckon we are near peak oil production

• Use a bicycle or public transport.

• Consider working from home

• UK airports now handle 200 million passengers/year

• A typical flight emits as much CO2 and harmful gases as if every passenger had travelled individually by car.

•1kg of Kiwi fruit flown from New Zealand = 5kg CO2 into the atmosphere

• Pollution is especially bad because it is emitted high up, where it does much more damage.

• Try and “save up” tasks and go on one longer trip than several short ones.

• Use video/phone conferencing where possible

Air Travel

Chemicals• Dispose of chemicals correctly - not down the sink

• Keep COSHH sheets - they are needed for disposal (Steve Robertson)

Radioactive sources & materials• Must be bought via safety group (Fran Childs)

• Keep track of sources

• Increasing problem with radioactive material finding its way into scrap metal

Source: NASA

Add some colour, and clean your office air

• Most offices contain pollutants like formaldehyde & benzene, given off by fibreboard, carpets, inks, paints,

and plastics.

• One of the causes of Sick Building Syndrome.

• NASA research showed that many plants absorb pollutants, and break them

down to harmless constituents.

• Particularly known are: - Ivies- Ferns- Lilies- Chrysanthemums- Aloe Vera- Spider Plants

Joolz Williams Particle Physics Department

j.h.williams@rl.ac.uk

Fin